10.15.11
ASN Morning Read: Hexagonal Finale Edition
Only three players from the ASN Top 10—Jozy Altidore, Graham Zusi, and Brad Guzan—are with the U.S. national team in Panama City, which means tonight's match is an opportunity for some fringe players.
BY
Jesse Yomtov
Posted
October 15, 2013
9:59 AM
Well, the United States’ World Cup qualifying campaign comes to an end tonight. Sort of sad. It seems like just yesterday we were panicking the U.S. might not even might make it to the Hex.
Panama sits three points behind Mexico for fourth place and needs a win to even have a chance at getting into the intercontinental playoff. Elsewhere in CONCACAF, Costa Rica hosts Mexico and Jamaica takes on Honduras. As per usual, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about the Hex.
From the official U.S. Soccer game notes, the U.S. is 10-1-2 all time against Panama, including two wins this year. The last time the two teams faced off in Panama City, Graham Zusi scored the only goal in a 1-0 win back in January 2012.
Jon Arnold spoke with Aron Johannsson about his first U.S. start and what he hopes to achieve moving forward. "It's a long way until Brazil and I have to improve a lot of things. Every minute and every camp, I'll get to know my teammates even better, so I hope it's going the right way." It’ll be interesting to see who plays up top, particularly with Terrence Boyd not having received any minutes as of late.
If you’re not at work at 11:55 a.m. Eastern (or even if you are!), you should tune in or at least follow Egypt’s World Cup qualifier against Ghana. ASN talked to Adam Moustafa of KingFut.com to get the inside scoop on Bob Bradley’s team ahead of the playoff’s first leg in Accra. “Chemistry on the team is just sublime,” Moustafa said of the Pharoahs.
ESPN FC has a nice (albeit convoluted) breakdown of how the U.S. and a handful of other teams could earn a seed for the World Cup. The U.S. needs a miracle, but it’s worth a read to see how other countries’ chances are shaping up. U.S. fans would certainly like to have a chance to get Switzerland or England from the top pot rather than Italy or the Netherlands.
